Whatever happened to goal of making abortions safe and rare?

By Ann Hill

Abortion is in the news as states consider ways to limit the procedures and a recent movie in theaters. Hasn’t it always been the goal to make abortions safe and rare? The United States reportedly had 56.5 million abortions reported from 1973-2013, according to the Center for Disease Control.

My own contact with abortion began when I accepted a counseling job at a clinic that gave referrals for abortions. As a counselor, I tried to give every patient the information she needed to make an informed decision, but as I learned more and more about abortion, I not only realized my information was inadequate but I may very well have given the only counseling the woman received. I had been told the women would also be counseled at the abortion facility, but I later found out the counseling only covered what to expect after the procedure.

This belies the belief abortion decisions are made between the woman and her doctor. The women are counseled by clinic staff, not by the doctor. The abortionist I had knowledge of flew in to our town once weekly and performed more than 20 abortions in four hours before flying home. He didn’t have time for counseling and he wouldn’t have been available to anyone who subsequently experienced complications.

Stunned by what she has witnessed, she finds she can’t be part of it anymore and becomes pro-life.

There is a movie called, “Unplanned” and is still being shown in Lubbock. You should see this movie in order to be more informed about the hidden side of abortion. This movie is graphic; it begins with the life-changing experience of Abby Johnson, director of a Planned Parenthood in Bryan Texas, when she witnesses a Dilation & Evacuation abortion performed at 13 weeks gestation. She sees the baby struggle to live and you will too. Stunned by what she has witnessed, she finds she can’t be a part of it anymore and becomes pro-life.

The movie also addresses the RU-486 chemical abortion that Abby herself went through and the suffering it entailed. I am amused abortion clinics online describe the side effects as, “may have cramping, bleeding, loss of clumps of tissue, and the delivery of the fetus.” Those side effects will absolutely occur, in severity depending upon the woman and the length of gestation.

Finally, the movie shows staff reassembling aborted fetuses to be sure all of the parts are there. Those are the gruesome parts, in case you decide to see the movie. The movie only tells about this woman’s experience, it does not go farther than that and it is compassionate and non-judgmental. It’s very powerful.

This movie agrees with my experience and what I have since learned. After an abortion, the woman is told to wait a certain period of time and then have another pregnancy test. I counseled at least two women who still tested pregnant after an abortion. I had to tell them that, “either they didn’t get it, or they didn’t get it all,” both of us horrified at the implications. That is why abortion clinic staff count the parts.

Look up Dr. Anthony Levatino. He portrayed the abortionist in the movie. Dr. Levatino is an OB/GYN, a former abortionist of babies of up to 24 weeks gestation and now a pro-life advocate. His testimony before a congressional committee can be viewed online. It’s illuminating. In the movie Abby is shocked to learn Planned Parenthood plans to open a facility to offer abortions up to 24 weeks gestation. The video of Dr. Levatino’s testimony will explain why.

People who are in the industry are not about choice.

People who are in the industry are not about choice, they are there to make money and the best money-making decision is abortion. If it were about choice they would be providing educational videos and real counseling. They wouldn’t be rabidly opposed to the woman seeing an ultrasound. They are not trying to protect the woman as they pretend. At the very least a woman in control of her own body should not have the information she receives censored. No, an informed decision is not the goal. The problem is many women who see an ultrasound change their minds about aborting the baby.

I have read that 1 percent of abortions have complications ranging from heavy bleeding, infection, scar tissue, future infertility, damaged cervix, to a perforated uterus. That means odds are that 1 percent of the 22,000 women who had abortions in Bryan had complications. That is 220 complications. The abortionist I knew of could easily perform 100 abortions a week.

I have talked to a woman who can no longer have children because of an abortion complication. She aborted the only one she’d ever have. I saw the testimony of a girl who had her uterus perforated and some of her intestines sucked out. Abortion clinics are very opposed to the suggestion that the doctors have rights at a local hospital because they don’t want to admit to having any complications. They don’t want an ambulance outside the clinic. And they don’t want health inspections of their facilities to make sure they are clean and meet health standards. Where does that leave the woman? Safe and legal?

The “Unplanned” movie makes its points without going into the more gruesome procedures. I admire that, because it sticks to Abby’s personal experience. Her experiences were not sensationalized and they agree with others who have come forward. More on that in another column.

Ann & Russell Hill

Russell Hill is a high school journalism and media teacher. He is a Red Raider through and through. He is a history buff and has been a re-enactor and written a book on Lubbock history. He has lived in the Lubbock area most of his life and had careers in restaurant management, media and education.
Ann Hill is an elementary special education teacher. She is an avid reader and closely follows family and social issues. She has been a counselor and case worker both privately and for the State of Texas before entering education. She is a Tech graduate and the mother of two.
They will write separate pieces, but under the shared column title.